New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: CB Julius Brents

Nick is looking at cornerback prospect Julius Brents as a possible depth piece.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Mar 15, 2023 1:30 PM EDT

In this story:

Julius Brents, CB

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 202 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: Kansas State
Arm length: 33 ¾”
Wingspan: 82 ⅞”
Hand size: 9 ½”

A former three-star recruit out of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was the 30th safety recruit and the fourth-graded Indiana native prospect during the 2018 cycle. Brents attended the University of Iowa for three seasons before transferring to Kansas State, where he started once he arrived on campus. His high school, Warren Central, was also home to Jeff George, Darren Evans, Sheldon Day, David Bell, and Adrien Robinson (the "JPP of tight ends").

Notables

Few cornerbacks playing football possess Julius Brents’ length at the position. Brents played in 46 career games spanning five seasons, with 32 starts between Iowa and Kansas State. Brents missed the 2019 season with a knee injury; he played 105 snaps in the COVID-shortened season of 2020 before entering the transfer portal.

Julius Brents recorded 83 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, 30 STOPs, five interceptions, five passes defended, and a forced fumble through his two seasons at Kansas State. He only allowed a 46.2% catch rate in 2022. His coverage and press ability were some reasons why he earned First-Team All-Big-12. Brents attended the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Strengths

Elite rare size and length for the position
Combines his length with very good lower body explosiveness to jump
Solid overall athletic ability for his size - a long strider
Explosive working underneath or downhill - good short area quickness when hips are oriented in the same direction through a movement
Good overall footwork in press - good cadence to stay square
Very aggressive and dictating jam
Lands jam and can ride/influence WR - physical
Didn’t lunge much at the LOS despite aggressive nature - brought his feet with him to mirror before opening his hips
Violent punch - looks to reroute receivers at LOS
Very physical around the LOS - has excellent press upside, although athletic limitations could hinder his reliability in a true man system
A smart processor in zone coverage - reads route concepts and reacts well

Excellent interception mid-pointing the No. one/two against Texas Tech on a 3x1 boundary alignment. Switch release where Brents showed excellent discipline, timing and reactive quickness to prompt the QB to throw to the No. one’s curl - athletic diving interception
Intercepted West Virginia QB in C3 after peeling off the clearout from the No. 1 to intercept the out by the No. 2

Frequently would align as Cover-2 flat defender to the boundary - was tasked in many Hi-Lo situations where he showed good discernment on how to handle the stress
Understands how/when to bait and react in zone coverage - plays balanced and hard downhill after click & close
Played disciplined and controlled in zone technique shuffle (butt to sideline)
Good ball skills - will climb and high point (and his high point is far from the ground)Lacks top-end speed at the position
Length closes throwing windows
Violent, and sometimes, reckless tackler - has hit-stick tape
Tone setting type of hits coming downhill
Was trusted by his defense to handle MEG (man everywhere he goes) against top receivers in college football - was on an island

Get More 2023 Draft Profiles here.

Weaknesses

Does not possess top-end speed

Was toasted by freshman Mizzou WR Luther Burden III (Q3, 12:33, 1st & 10), albeit the ball was still overthrown for the WR
Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo burnt Burns in one-on-ones in Senior Bowl practices (did have a good overall Senior Bowl week)

Second-gear speed isn’t always evident once beaten on vertical plane
Can get grabby (was flagged six times in 2022)
Modest ability to flip his hips at the LOS
Mirroring over the middle of the field is only adequate
Transition smoothness is hit or miss - footwork can improve in backpedal and when transitioning away from the LOS
Put into disadvantageous situations when he missed his jam
The ability to recover when beaten leaves some to be desired (length helps)
Wish he wrapped up more as a tackler
Struggled to contain TCU WR Quentin Johnston in the Big-12 Championship game

For what it’s worth, he had a solid outing against Johnston in Week 8

May be best fit as a zone cornerback

Summary

Julius Brents is a physical cornerback with rare 99th percentile length and height. His aggressive mentality and ability to switch zone-coverage responsibilities promptly helped Kansas State create turnovers in 2022. He’s smart, tough, and dependable as a player with press upside.

Unfortunately, concerns about Brents’s vertical speed to carry faster wide receivers are valid. He’s not a complete stiff, but some of his transitions could use WD-40 - it’s not always smooth. He won’t be lost playing man coverage, but his ideal fit is likely as a zone defender. Love his tackling mentality, but can get wild and doesn’t consistently drive his feet into contact - has to wrap up more.

There could be a discussion about moving him to safety because of his aggressive nature to fill in run support and his unique size. His instincts in zone coverage suggest he could handle that from a processing standpoint, but that remains to be seen. I like Brents’s skill set, just wish I trusted his athletic ability a little more; maybe he can shock some at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

GRADE: 6.34